Place: Reviews & Ratings

Stopped by on a recent Sunday afternoon for some beer and some food. Located near the freeway in a spread out industrial area. Homebrew and memorabilia store to the left and the beer coolers and pub/taproom to the right. Spacious, but with low ceilings and a very conference room/church classroom feel. The main bar area was better, with lots of wood and nice bar chairs, though. We sat in the conference room area. Service was very good and friendly. 16 beers on tap was awesome to see, including 4 seasonals. Prices were reasonable and they offered 3 oz. samplers for a buck a piece. I got nine samplers and all the beer tasted fresh. Some decent brews and some great (Imperial IPA, Rye Bock, and the wheat beer). Food menu was simple pub grub that was good enough, but nothing special. No smoking was good to see and music wasn't blasting out our conversation so that was nice. The beer coolers (for off-sale purchase) were impressive and well-stocked. They have growlers too. The homebrew store had a very good selection and I will definitely be heading there again for that and for some more beers! (1,103 characters)

I stopped by Michigan Brewing Company this past Saturday for lunch and brews. MBC is less than a mile from I96 (or Grand River Avenue if you're not into the whole expressway thing) in an Industrial Park/Warehouse area just outside the village of Webberville. From the outside MBC looks drab and boring, kind of like a big pole-barn...but the inside taproom isn't bad. The bar is wood and looks handcrafted...obviously new yet looks "old school." The walls are also wood and sprinkled with posters. The sound-system was weak but played lots of Dylan, which made me happy.As for the beers...the beers were good. I had a sampler of all 16 beers currently on tap ($16). I was most impressed with the Nut Brown Ale, Rye Bock, Stout, and the Celis beers. These brews were all very flavorful, balanced, and unpretentious. I appreciated that most of the beers on tap were in the 5% abv range. It seems that the trend, particularly in Michigan, is toward massive beers with sky high alcohol content. While I like big beers it's nonetheless nice that MBC beers are a bit more subte. Overall, I thought the atmosphere at MBC was okay but not great (a tad sterile really), but beers were absolutely fantastic...I'll certainly be visiting Michigan Brewing Company again. (1,259 characters)

I really like this place. Walk in there are peanut shells on the floor. Barrels of peanuts that you grab basket full to eat, just drop shells on the floor. Makes for a fresh, cozy, and unintruding atmosphere. The quality of beer was good, had the Celis line, well the ones they had. Grand Cru in bottle, Raspberry, White on tap. Also had some of there IPA, it was of good quality also. Unfortunitly I could not stay for more. The service was excellent, Stacy the bartender was prompt with getting order, then serving it in the correct glass. She also talk with me for a while, with asking about the different beer styles I drink. Offered samples and her likes and dislikes about the beers. Selection was good. There were 13 beers on tap with all those in bottle as well. Also like mentioned before, they had Celis Grand Cru only in bottles. I was informed that there was a recent brewer change, this was the reasoning for the bottle only. Food did not have any except peanuts. The beers were $3 and $4, with bottles being $2ea. Overall a nice place to visit. Although I understand that they will be moving to the location behind there current one. As of April 2005. (1,165 characters)

Atmosphere: Behind the famous gas pumps off a rural exit on I-96 in Webberville, Michigan Brewing is in a log-cabin fronted building. Inside, the walls are the logs from outside (not wallpapered). The walls have the life story of Pierre Celis, from being a wee baby, to creating Hoegaarden and selling it to Interbrew, and finally bringing his own wheat beer (Celis White) to life. The bar itself is right inside the bar, and not far to walking in. Michigan Brewing has quite a bit of equipment available for brewing, since I'm told they're big contract brewers. Right through a door stood a cooler of 6-packs and singles for sale to take out. We went on a Sunday morning, and the place was relatively busy, but it doesn't seem the type of place that would be jumping on a weekend night.

Quality/Selection: Michigan Brewing offered 12 beers on tap. In addition to the 4 Celis beers that they're so famous for (White, Raspberry, Grand Cru, and Pale Bock), they offered their Big League Brew ESB, a good IPA, and a couple non-bottled beers such as a pale ale and hefeweizen. The beers were certainly quite solid examples of their style, and even featured a few great brews (the Celis White and Grand Cru).

Service: Michigan Brewing seemed to have fairly good service: the bartender was friendly and knew the beer fairly well. The POS was out when we were there, but they seemed to work around that.

Michigan Brewing is definitely worth a trip for those in the Lansing area. With their famous Celis brand, and some other great beers as well, this is a place I'd definitely return to again (1,595 characters)

You got to drive between the gas pumps is what trbeer said, on the way to Michigan Brewing Company. After going between the pumps, the brewpub looks like a fake log cabin from the outside. Inside is a very small bar/dining room that seems would only seat about twenty five people altogether. Inside the place still uses the fake log cabin persona, with various pieces of brewmainia scattered around. Some of the brewery can be seen from the dining room and the room next to it where six packs can be bought.

The tap selection includes the four Pierre Celis beers, a beer called Big League Brew and seven house beers. Having never had any of them I of course ordered a sampler while trbeer ordered a Celis White (they severed it in a pint glass, since there were no wit glasses to be seen). The beers did range from excellent to average, and all the lines seemed clean and the beers were fresh.

As with most places I have seen in Michigan their food menu was lacking choices (we were in a hurry, so I did not have any food this time). The service was fine; however they did pour one wrong beer in the sampler, but being a level headed guy, plus the fact that we were in a hurry I did not bring it up to the bartender.

Overall worth a stop if in the Webberville area, the beers were good and there is a homebrew/brewmania store next to the place (but that is another review). (1,385 characters)

Visited on a Saturday and managed to meet up with trbeer. Very small place with about 6 bar stools and 5 tables in the non-smoking section and about an equal smoking section. 12 beers on tap including four Celis and eight of the MBC brews. Free peanuts in the corner and sheels all over the floor. You do literally have to drive through the gas station, right by the pumps, to get ot the place but worth it. Beers were all pretty good, bartender was knowledgable, friendly with the samples and info and took good care of us. Menu was veery limited by the sandwich I had was fantastic and chile was good but not hot enough for a cold Michigan winter. Have a whole cooler of the MBC and Celis beers to go as well as growler refills. Nice touch is that they let you create mixed 6 or 12 packs, including the Celis products to go. Really a worthwhile place to hit if traveling across I-96. (885 characters)

I've gone past the place a million times, but finally had the chance to stop in over the Christmas holiday. I was pleasantly surprised. They have a great store attached to the brewpub! Lots of brewing supplies and beer related items.The bar area is nice, but lacks a real personality. However, the service was good, the beer selection is very nice. But on top of that, they have their own sodas and even vodka. The beers that I sampled were solid representations of their styles. And although I didn't sample the menu, it looked pretty decent and the smells coming from the kitchen were wonderful. (600 characters)

We tried out MBC for david131's b-day, and were thoroughly impressed. Well out-of-the-way in an industrial park, the building kind of looks like and office. Inside, it's like a hotel lobby, in a great, low-key and simple way. The taplist was extensive, the important ones being Celis Grand Cru (one of my falvorites), triple, and Russian imperial. The RIS was the only one I had, and it was outstanding. The best part, though, was the VIP treatment we received. With a quick ask, we were able to try the bourbon barrel aged RIS (a saran wrap covered bottle behind the bar...great) and an RIS-IPA mix. Both were very good and a great treat. I will definitely be going back. (692 characters)

I am going to hate to see this place go away. The great wooden bar and tables, the peanuts and shells on the floor, the wide selection of drafts. Stopped in on November 12th for a quick beer, stayed for 3. The IPA is a must have, the Celis Grand Cru and just about everything else is fresh and tasty. Good prices and specials and a decent to go selection. The new place is taking shape (big antique oak bar) and will have plenty of character, I am sure but I think that this place will always be cooler. (503 characters)

This "hole in the wall" is exactly what I expect from a brewery- a front to the actual brewery where you can get all their bottled beers on tap plus a special or two. The food is a little disappointing, being cold cut sandwiches and chili, but the chili is constantly changing and is perfect for a cold winter day, accompanied by a fresh microbrew. The barkeeps are nice, and there are plenty of peanuts for all. Plus, you can pick up a couple of mixed six packs on your way out. I've never had an on-tap beer that didn't taste perfect there. Also, check out the attached Things Beer for all of your homebrewing needs. (618 characters)

This is ground zero for any and all beer geeks in Michigan. Just a little taphouse in front their brewery, itself a smallish industrial building behind a gas station just off the interstate. The big outdoor fermenters might be mistaken for grain silos. But everyone inside loves their beers and enjoys sharing the love with anyone interested. A generous 12 beers on tap makes for one of the biggest sampler trays I've ever had. Then the manager gave us a tour of the works, and brought out bottles of any beers they didn't have on tap. The Celis is flowing very well there, along with a few contract brands (including a limited edition revival of Sebewaing for Sebewaing Township's 150th anniversary). Great atmosphere with some fine chili being cooked right in the brewhouse, and a barrel of peanuts, which means you just throw your shells on the floor. Plenty of take-home, an outdoor beer garden, and the next building is a homebrew and breweriana shop. If you're traveling anywhere near Lansing, this should be your first choice of beer stops. (1,047 characters)